Combination lid, opener, and pouring spout for containers



1943 D. N. HALSTEAD 2,333,781

COMBINATION LID, OPENER, AND POURING SPOUT FOR CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 24,1939 Patented Nov. 9, 1943 COMBINATION LID, OPENER, AND POURIN SPOUT FORCONTAINERS Dorne N. Halstead, Upper Montclair, N. J. Application August24, 1939, Serial No. 293,249

11 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in a combination lid, opener andpouring spout for containers.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a device which may bereadily attached and detached to containers so that it can be repeatedlyreused for opening and closing, and pouring out the contents ofcontainers.

Another object of my improvement is to make a device that will readilycut a form fitting opening in containers upon being pressed against theoutside thereof, and automatically anchor itself to a part thereof toprovide a hinged lid and pouring spout.

These and other objects and advantages are accomplished by the simpleand practical construction and arrangement'of parts hereinafterdescribed and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1is a perspective view of the device applied to the upper part of acontainer broken away in part;

Figure 2 is a front elevation view of the device;

Figure 3 is side elevation of the device as it is about to be pressedinto the side of a container;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device after beingpressed into a container;

Figure 5 is similar to Figure 4, with the operating handle 9 extendingoutwardly, and the cutting tongue l in clamping position;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view after the device has been inserted ina container, looking towards the rear thereof;

Figure 7 is a similar cross sectional view looking towards the front ofthe device, showing the tongue I I looked in clamping position.

Referring to drawing in which like numerals indicate like parts, i is acardboard container of the type generally used for cereals, salt,washing powders and other flaky and granular material which can bepoured from an opening in a box.

The opener 2 is made of sheet metal of the type that can be bent orstamped into form, and which can be provided with the necessarypenetrating points and cutting edges. The back 3 of the Opener isprovided with side gauge and sealing flanges 4, and substantially vshaped, side members 5 having penetrating points 1 and side cuttingedges 6.

Pivoted on a cross bar or rock shaft 8 on the front end of the back 3 isan operating handle or rock lever 9 with an outwardly extending rear endl0, and an inwardly projecting tongue ll,

having a penetrating point I! and side cutting edges l3. s

The side members 5 at the forward portion of the opener adjacent to theside flanges 4 are slotted at l4 and slightly bent inwardly to providespring friction or engaging ratchets l5, spaced from the back member 3as clearly disclosedby the drawing, particularly Figs. 3, 4

. and 5 for the purpose more fully hereinafter described.

Also, at the rear portion of the opener, the side members 5 are slottedat l6 adjacent to the flanges 4 and bent inwardly to provide lockingmembers I'l, spaced from the back member substantially the same astheratchet members I! the purpose of which will be more fullyhereinafterdescribed.

In operation, the opener with the operating lever 9 lying against theback or base 3 and the tongue ll extending inwardly as disclosed inFigures 3 and 4, is pressed into the side of a container, preferably byholding with one hand in an upright position with the penetrating pointsi against the container and then pressed inwardly with the thumb of theother hand. Upon pressing inwardly, the penetrating points i and cuttingedges 6 of the side members 5, and the penetrating point l2 and cuttingedges l3 of the tongue II will cut through the wall ofthe container tomake a form fitting opening in which the wall of the container issevered on all sides with the exception at the rear portion of theopener, thereby providing a flexible tab or hinging tongue E8, to whichthe opener at its rear end is automatically locked by the inward bentlocking members i! passing by and engaging the sides and the rear of thetab or for providing contiguous locking or binding engagement with theback of the tongue iii to positively provide a hinge at E9, and to alsoprevent the rear end from tilting outwardly upon inwardly or outwardlyrocking the opener to either an opened or closed position.

After the opener has been completely pressed inwardly to where thegauging and sealing flanges 4 contact with the outside wall of thecontainer, the position of the parts being as disclosed in Figure 4, thelever or handle 9 is then rocked outwardly and forwardly on its pivot orshaft 8, thereby causing the tongue H to rock backwardly and upwardly toclamp the free end of the tab or tongue H8. The lever is held or lockedin this position by the inwardly extending spring members l5,frictionally engaging the sides and back of the tongue II, as disclosedin Figures 5 and '7. In this position, the lever 9 extends outwardly andprovides a handle for rocking the opener on its flexible hinge I9, sothat it may be opened to a pouring position as disclosed in dotted linesin Figure 5, in which it will be noted that the upper edges of the sidemembers approach the top edge of the opening at 20, to limit the outwardrocking movement of the opener. In this position and upon tilting thecontainer to a suitable position. the contents thereof may be pouredout, the side members 5 and back 3 with the tab I8 and tongue II lyingadjacent thereto forming a chute for directing the contents beingpoured. After the desired amount of contents has been poured out, thecontainer is brought to an upright position and the opener is rockedinwardly on its hinge III by the operating handle 9, so that the sidesealing flanges 4 and the forwardly curved face of the cutting tongue Hengage the edges of the opening to provide a form fitting seal prooflid. The outwardly curved portion I ofthe handle 9 enables it to be morereadily grasped and operated whenthe lever engages the back of theopener.

It will be noted that, if the side members 5 slightly converge at theirfree ends, a slightly un dersized opening will be cut, thereby providinga friction binding engagement of the opener with the edges of theopening when it is closed or in adjusted positions; and vice versa ifthe side members slightly diverge, the opener or lid will be more orless loose fitting in the opening cut into the box as may be desired.

In Figures 1 and 4, it will be seen that the curvature and form of thecutting tongue II is such that it cuts the end of the opening slightlyinwardly or undersize so that, when the lid is closed, the curvedportion of the tongue slightly bends the end portion of the wallinwardly to provide a snug engagement. This, along with the side flanges4, make the lid substantially sealproof when closed.

To disengage the lid from the container when it has been emptied for usein another container, the lever 9 is pushed into contact with the backof the lid 3, thereby rocking it on its shaft 8 along with the bindingtongue I I to unclamp the latter from the end of the tab I8, and thenwith the lid in an open position, same as when pouring, the lid may bereadily pulled or stripped from the tab. The spring ratchet members I5are so shaped that they operatively hold tongue I I in clamping positionand the lever outwardly extended, but upon firmly pressing the levertowards the back 3 the tongue II snaps by the ratchets to disengage itfrom the tab.

The opener has been disclosed in use with cardboard containers; however,it may be used in connection with semi-stiff paper and any other type ofcontainers which can be pierced and cut by the cutting edges.

It will also be noted that in the preferred form the shape of the backof the lid and arrangement of the parts and cutting edges thereon cut asubstantially rectangular shaped opening upon being pressed into acontainer, however the size and shape of the opener, and the structure,arrangement and form of the parts and cutting edges thereon may bevaried to provide a suitable opener, which may cut a square or any otherdesired forms and sizes of openingswithout departing from the scope ofmy invention.

When the lid is fully opened, the upper or forward cutting edges of theside members 5, near their penetrating points, will engage the upperedge of the opening to limit the outward rocking movement of the opener.In this position, the lower or rear cutting edges of the side memberswill be approximately flush with the inner edge of th opening, therebyallowing the contents oi the container, when tilted to a suitable angle,to more or less freely run out oi the opening into the directing orpouring spout arrangement.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a combination lid and pouring device for containers, a lid,pointed side members spaced apart with cutting edges on said lid, and apointed end member with cutting edges on said lid, whereby a formfitting opening and tab are cut when said lid is pressed against theside of a container, said pointed end member being rockably supported onsaid lid, and having an operating handle to rock the said pointed end toclamp the free end of the tab to the back of the lid.

2. In a combination lid and pouring device for containers, a lid,pointed side members with cutting edges on said lid, and a pointedmember with cutting side edges on the end of said lid, whereby a formfitting opening and tab are cut when the lid is pressed against the sideof a container, said pointed end member being rockably supported on saidlid, and having a handle whereby said pointed end member may be rockedto clamp the free end of the tab, and inwardly extending members at theother end of the lid for engaging the base of the tab.

3. A lid opener for containers, comprising a back member having side andend members adapted to cut a tab and a form fitting opening in the sideof a container for the lid to engage in, said side members havinginclined slots and bent in portions adjacent to the back member forlocking the said tab to the lid.

4. In a combination lid opener and pouring spout device for containerscomprising a back member having side cutting members and an end cuttingmember whereby a tab and a form fitting opening are cut when the deviceis pressed against the side of a container, a pivot on said back memberpivotally supporting said end member whereby it can be rocked to clampthe end of the tab, and means on said side cutting members forreleasably holding the pivoted end member in clamped position.

5. In a combination lid opener and pouring spout device for containerscomprising a back member having side cutting members and an end cuttingmember whereby a tab and a form fitting opening are cut when the deviceis pressed against the side of a container, a pivot on said back memberpivotally supporting said end member whereby it can be rocked to clampthe end of the tab, and inwardly extending members on said side cuttingmembers for engaging said pivoted end member for releasably holding itin clamping position.

6. In a combination lid opener and pouring spout device for containerscomprising a back member having side cutting members and an end cuttingmember whereby a tab and a form fitting opening are cut when the deviceis pressed against the side of a container, a pivot on said back memberpivotally supporting said end member whereby it can be rocked to clampthe end of said tab, inwardly extending members on said side cuttingmembers for releasably engaging the pivoted end member for holding it inclamped position, and inwardly extending members on the side cuttingmembers for releasably engaging the tab whereby the device can bereadily attached to the tab to provide a hinge and be readily detachedfrom the container for reuse.

7. In a combination lid opener and pouring spout device for containerscomprising a back member, cutting blades on said back member for cuttinga tab and form fitting opening for the said device to frictionallyengage in when it is pressed against the side of a container, anchoringmeans on said cutting blades adjacent to said back member forcontiguously engaging the back of said tab for releasably binding it tothe device when it is pressed against the side of the container toprovide a hinge for the device to rock on.

8. In a combination lid opener and pouring spout device for containerscomprising a back member having side cutting members and an end cuttingmember for cutting a tab and a form fitting opening for said spoutdevice to frictionally engage in when it is pressed against the side ofa container, and anchoring means for releasably binding said tab to thedevice when it is pressed against the side of a container to provide ahinge for the device to rock on the container, said anchoring meanscomprising inwardly extending members on said side cutting membersadjacent to said back member for contiguously engaging the back of saidtab.

9. A combination box opener and pouring spoutcomprising twosubstantially parallel cutting blades insertable simultaneously throughthe wall of a box to cut spaced slots therein, a base connecting saidblades, and a transverselyextending pointed blade hingedly mounted atone end of said base and operable to cut in said box wall a slot joiningsaid spaced slots adjacent one end thereof, said last-named blade beingswingable to entrap between itself and said base the tongue formed bysaid spaced slots and joining transverse slot, and means engageable withsaid last-named blade, when swung into juxtaposition to said base, tohold the same against return movement.

10. In a combination box opener, lid and pouring spout device comprisingtwo spaced cutting blades penetratable through the wall of a box to cutspaced slots, and a base joining said blades, said base being slotted atthe end, and a movable cutting blade connected to said slotted end forcutting a slot in said box wall transverse to said first mentioned slotsand adjacent oneend thereof to provide a hinging tab and a freelyflowing form fitting opening for said spout device to engage in.

11. In a combination lid opener and pouring spout device for containerscomprising a base member having two spaced cutting blades insertablethrough the wall of a container to cut spaced slots, a cutting blade atthe end of said base member for cutting a slot transverse to said spacedslots adjacent one end thereof to provide a hinging tab and a freelyflowing form fitting opening for said spout device to rock and engagein, said spaced cutting blades having inwardly extending lockingportions adjacent the ends of the base portions thereof, said inwardlyextending portions being spaced from the said base member to hold saidtab against the base.

DORNE N. HALS'I'EAD.

